First of all, how's the overall health of the team? Houston finished the season 5-5 in April. Do you think the team is where they want to be heading into the first round?

JCF: There’s never a good time for injuries to hit, but it’s fair to say Houston dodged a bullet with the timing of Dwight Howard’s and Patrick Beverley’s injury absences. Both were able to return in time to get a few games beneath their belt prior to the start of the postseason, and the upshot of their collective time off is that they ought to have relatively fresh legs for what the club hopes will be a long playoff run.

It should go without saying that the Rockets’ 5-5 finish to close out the regular season pales in importance to the team being 100 percent healthy this time of year. From that perspective, then, Houston is right where it wants to be now that it has Howard and Beverley back in the fold.

Each matchup among the starting fives for both teams is intriguing. Which is your favorite and which do you think will be the biggest key to the series?

JCF: Like most, I’m chomping at the bit to see Beverley and Damian Lillard renew acquaintances for an extended stretch. There’s obviously no love lost when those two go toe-to-toe, and that sort of edginess is a huge part of that which makes playoff basketball such a treat to watch.

Lillard is a terrific talent and an All-Star – he’s going to get his, and it will take a concerted team effort to keep him under control. But it’s worth noting that he turned the ball over at a much higher rate than usual when facing Houston this season, and that Beverley was the primary defender for 14 of his 16 total turnovers against the Rockets. Also: Lillard shot just 39 percent inside the restricted area versus Houston this season, as the Rockets’ rim protection frequently wreaked havoc with his finishing touch.

In four meetings this season against the Blazers, the Rockets averaged nine three-pointers made and 25 free throws made per game. Which do you see being a bigger factor for Houston against Portland in the first round: threes or free throws?

JCF: Choosing one of these is like deciding between food and water – both are essential to the Rockets’ postseason survival. But if forced to choose, I’d begrudgingly point in the direction of free throws. Three-point shooting can be famously fickle, but so long as Houston continues its season-long parade to the charity stripe the club should still be okay. Along those lines, it seems relevant to point out that while the Rockets didn’t shoot particularly well from long range against Portland this season (just 34.6 percent), Houston averaged 31.8 free throws per contest when facing the Blazers – a mark that’s actually a smidge above its season average of 31.2.

What have you seen from the Blazers offensively this season (against the Rockets and in general) you think could pose a problem for Houston?

JCF: Portland’s offense routinely displays some of the most eye-pleasing motion and movement seen this side of San Antonio. The floor spacing possessed by their starting unit is exquisite, creates all kinds of pick-your-poison dilemmas, and is a huge reason why the Blazers’ starting five actually outscored Houston by 36 points in 72 minutes of action this year while posting an outlandish offensive rating of 125.8. There’s simply no possible way to take away all of Portland’s offensive options simultaneously.

Based on what we saw in the regular season, then, it’s likely that the Rockets will defend the three-point line like demons in order to prevent the Blazers’ cadre of outside shooters from collectively catching fire from beyond the arc. Despite Aldridge being an elite midrange shooter, Houston would much rather allow those shots than open threes.

Lastly, defensive rebounding has been a season long bugaboo for the Rockets. Portland’s ability to crash the offensive glass promises to test Houston greatly on that end of the floor.

I'm assuming the answer here is Jeremy Lin, but who is the most important bench player for the Rockets in this series and why?

JCF: There’s no question that Lin’s playmaking off the bench could prove pivotal to how this series unfolds but I’m actually going to opt instead for Omer Asik as Houston’s most important bench player. When both he and Howard are healthy, the Rockets can count on having elite rim protection and rebounding on the floor for a full 48 minutes – something Portland lacks the second Robin Lopez heads to the bench for a breather.

Then there’s the fact that Asik’s presence also gives Houston the option to revisit the supersized lineup it used at the start of the season. Simultaneously pairing Asik and Howard didn’t often produce the desired result during that time, but it did work well when employed against Portland so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Rockets roll it out a time or two in this series, especially if LaMarcus Aldridge is really wreaking havoc.

The Rockets win if …

JCF: James Harden’s and Dwight Howard’s regular season domination of the Blazers carries over to the playoffs, and Houston’s defense returns to the top-10 level it displayed prior to the late-season injuries sustained by Howard and Beverley.

The Blazers win if …

JCF: Aldridge and Lillard outperform Houston’s All-Star duo, Lopez avoids foul trouble, Portland’s perimeter shooters get hot and stay hot, and one or two players off the club’s bench play at a high level throughout the series.